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Candidates for District 35 House advocate for working families

Ray Jaramillo, Paul “Pablo” Martinez and Angelica Rubio will face each other in the June 7 Democratic primary election. The winner of the election advances to the Nov. 8 general election and will face Las Cruces Republican Joseph E. Bishop.

Ray Jaramillo, Paul “Pablo” Martinez and Angelica Rubio will face each other in the June 7 Democratic primary election. The winner of the election advances to the Nov. 8 general election and will face Las Cruces Republican Joseph E. Bishop. Whoever is elected will be a freshman legislator in the state House.

District 35 includes a large area of Las Cruces: from Utah Avenue and Bellamah Drive to the south, Moreno Road and Gypsy Lane to the north, portions of Valley Drive and the railroad tracks to the west, and part of Triviz Drive and Interstate 25 to the east. The district also includes portions of the city’s East Mesa, including Rinconada Boulevard and Tucson Avenue.

Jaramillo, Martinez and Rubio each said they are running to represent average, working Las Crucens.

“They have asked me for many years to run; now it's time to give back,” Martinez said. “… As a state representative, I will be a strong voice for the struggling farmer, veteran, single parent, senior citizen, small business owner, mentally ill, public and private sector worker, and victims of violent crimes.”

Rubio said, “I am running because the community has asked me to run. … Change is my life’s work. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose — but the heart of my work is the understanding that I will always be in the fight.”

Jaramillo said he can relate, and has empathy, for hardworking residents living in the district.

“I am the average New Mexico family man who has had to work hard — sometimes two to three jobs — to provide for a family, while dealing with healthcare costs, student debt and the daily challenges that come with raising children in our community,” Jaramillo said. “… The type of understanding I have cannot be gained with a degree or title, it’s genuine and true.”

Jaramillo — director of Alpha School, Inc., a privately owned Las Cruces prekindergarten school for children 3 to 5 years old — is currently studying to earn a bachelor's degree in early childhood education, with a minor in child advocacy studies at New Mexico State University.

"Though I have done this work for decades without a degree, I understand the importance of education, and so I decided to return to school," he said.

If elected, Jaramillo's priorities include, "representing the people of my district and New Mexico in a way that reflects our values and our needs." Securing state funds for early childhood education and public schools would be his first priority.

Jaramillo said he would also advocate for educators who have to deal with "unfair practices and policies" the state's education system currently has in effect. Also, he would fight for a living wage for anyone who contributes to quality education in the state.

Jaramillo would also support legislation to legalize marijuana, saying that type of "progressive" legislation would boost the state's economy, create jobs and increase tourism. He would also focus on the state's mental health crisis by trying to get providers back into New Mexico and back to work.

Martinez, a retired administrator with the New Mexico Corrections Department, and a former superintendent of the J. Paul Taylor Juvenile Correctional Facility west of Las Cruces, listed his top priorities as economic development, more funding of public education, protecting victims of violent crimes and compensating victims of fraud.

"We need to keep doing everything we can to keep strengthening our local school districts," Martinez said. "As a state, we need to allow regents at our universities to be elected by the people. Somebody needs to be held accountable."

As state budget woes continue, Martinez believes public safety and education are two areas that cannot be cut.

Rubio, who worked for New Mexico Café as the lead organizer and campaign manager for the Raise the Wage campaign prompted Las Cruces leaders to gradually increase the city's minimum wage to $10.10 by 2019, has five priorities she would be deeply involved with if she becomes a state representative, including becoming a strong supporter of justice and equality for residents. "This is the foundation of my entire priority platform," she said.

Rubio would also focus her efforts on state programs and services provided to military veterans. She said the state should keep its promises to them.

Rubio's other priorities include education, ample public access to health and mental health care and supporting local businesses across the state to grow jobs and improve the state's economy.

"The writing is on the wall, it's where we're headed," said Rubio, of efforts to increase the minimum wage, and establish a livable wage. "I see value in the cities making decisions. Every city should have the opportunity to do that."

Rubio would also support greater public transparency in state government and a stricter ethics code for elected officials.

"I'm all for an independent ethics commission," she said. "It's embarrassing to me that we don't have a much harder stance on ethics. There remains a lack of transparency while cronyism still exists across the state."